oxgang

noun

"oxgang" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oxgang” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The area of land that could be plowed by an ox in a year, ¹⁄₈ hide or carucate and notionally 15 acres.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oxgang · oxgang · English

oxgang · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for oxgang
PropertyValue
Headwordoxgang
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “oxgang” in English

oxgangsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oxgang is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for oxgang, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English oxegang, from Old English oxangang (“¹⁄₈ hide or ploughland”), equivalent to ox + gang. The correct English form is oxgang, spelled O-X-G-A-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The area of land that could be plowed by an ox in a year, ¹⁄₈ hide or carucate and notionally 15 acres.
  2. 2
    The similar Scottish concept, ¹⁄₈ of a ploughgate and notionally 12+¹⁄₂ or 13 Scottish acres.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how oxgang appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1417. Henry Rishworth formerly held two oxgangs in Hipperholme, Osbarn rode, lands in Coley, etc. His nephew Henry, son of Nicholas de Rishworth, next heir, paid 10s heriot. 1418. John, son and heir of Henry de Rishworth, herioted a cottage and a royd in the Hey in Hipperholme.

Etymology

From Middle English oxegang, from Old English oxangang (“¹⁄₈ hide or ploughland”), equivalent to ox + gang.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "oxgang"?
"oxgang" is spelled O-X-G-A-N-G.
What does "oxgang" mean?
As a noun, "oxgang" means: The area of land that could be plowed by an ox in a year, ¹⁄₈ hide or carucate and notionally 15 acres.
What is the origin of the word "oxgang"?
From Middle English oxegang, from Old English oxangang (“¹⁄₈ hide or ploughland”), equivalent to ox + gang. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list